Kansutoppu! Chapter 14 – Mysterious Ghost Mansion Part 4

Xant: Ok this chapter got really nasty, really quickly. Ick. Also I made a post for clarity regarding my <> quote style which can be found here. And while we’re on the topic of those <> quotes, go and take part in the poll found here and give me some feedback! Voting is over. Overwhelming “Yes”. Angle brackets are staying.

Chapter may have minor changes later on, I’m posting this before getting 9’s official stamp of approval.

Chapter 14 – Mysterious Ghost Mansion 4
I had originally thought that this underground area would have a complicated inner structure and was worried that I wouldn’t know where to start, but there was only a straight passage stretching into the distance.
We were attacked many times by the same kind of monster from earlier but I defeated them all.
Because of the range the ghost’s magic had, protecting Roel and Tolppo became troublesome.
But since I have been fighting a long time by myself, I wasn’t afraid of the magic’s range.

“Ryua…..way too strong……”

Tolppo has been carefully watching me the whole time.
I wonder if I should talk to her about what happened to me at the <Caves of Hell>?
It’ll have to be later though, right now we don’t have the luxury of spare time.
On our way down the passage, we eventually came upon an old-looking door.

“I wonder if this is the end?”

“Someone open it? I guess I’ll open it? Then, I’m opening it.”

There was a hand clinging around my waist, so it was quite hard to move.
I gently grasped Roel’s hand and moved it away.
I wonder where the <Little Ghost Girl> who Roel hugged earlier went? I haven’t even see a shadow of her since it happened.

“Here….there’s something…..”

Tolppo murmured, and her tone made Roel’s fear go up a notch. In one go I quickly open the door.

Behind the door there was Francois-san, slovenly hanging from above.
A rope was around her neck, and her mouth was wide open dripping vomit.
Starting from her skirt and running down her leg, excretion dripped onto the floor.

“IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Finally Roel’s fear reached its breaking point. It doesn’t seem like she’s going to separate from me now.
Honestly, I wasn’t able to hide my shock either.
I unconsciously moved back and collided with Tolppo.
I wonder what was going through his, no her mind when she saw the corpse.

There was also the corpse of a mummified little girl and the skeletal corpse of what I assume is a man in the room as well.
It appears that the girl who clung on me and the man who led us to this place are both here.
I wonder, just what the heck happened?
Why did Francois commit suicide here, of all places?
I wonder if this quest will end filled with mystery…

“W-what are we supposed to do…..?”

“…….not yet.”

Tolppo’s expression completely changed and pointed at Francois.
Francois’ exhausted head faintly moved.
Suddenly her head started moving.

“Wa-waa!”

It leaked out a terrible, hoarse voice.

The head of the corpse faced this way.
The loose tongue from her mouth was dangling out. Her eyes on that deathly pale face opened and looked directly at us.
Her neck, like a snail, squeezed itself out from the rope.
Her head bent 90 degrees to the side as she landed on the ground, pigeon-toed. Her gaze was on us.
In the next instant, I can only describe it as expanding and contracting at will, its arm stretched forward aiming towards me.

【Francois appeared! Francois suddenly attacked!】

“Ah!”

I protected Tolppo who was behind me by deflecting the arm with my right hand.
After I blocked the attack the arm fell to the floor, and then as if nothing happened the arm of <Francois> contracted back to its original form.

“W-w-what……..?”

Barely holding on to her staff, there were tears coming out of Roel’s eyes.
I won’t let that thing touch Roel or Tolppo, no matter what.(TL:何としてでもロエル達には手を出させない。)
Even so I feel uneasy about this, especially since when she hit me earlier it had the same sensation as when I had hit the <Little Ghost Girl>. It’s as if it was rubber, but when I hit it I felt no resistance.
I wonder if this is the same as the from earlier?
Even though I defeated that bone monster…

“Yoouuu-n-eed-to-pro-pe-ly-stah-dee”

<Francois>’ mouth was making a gurgling noise as blood was coming out of it.

“iii-ven-eef-yoooo-me-ik-a-smo-ol-mee-ste-ik”

Every time <Francois> talks, bloods spills out of her mouth. Tolppo fired off some magic.

【Tolppo cast Blazeshot!】

A large flame bullet hit <Francois> and she was blown away with her body on fire. After she hit the ground, she just laid there.
Before long, the fire went out. I didn’t see any burns on her body as she stood up.

【Francois didn’t receive any damage! HP 0/0】

“This is…..<Vengeful> ghost-type……as I thought…..useless……”

“<Vengeful> ghost-type?”

It was the first time I heard that word. I wondered if it wasn’t actually a Ghost-type.

It seems a <Vengeful Ghost> is the state before becoming a Ghost-type.
Then…that means that it’s not a monster, and because it’s a <Vengeful> ghost our attacks aren’t effective.

“It’s the first time I……”

I became scared, and Roel powerlessly dropped her staff on the floor.
As I looked at her shivering, I felt helpless.
Even though I promised to protect her I got utterly frightened.
I should be fighting to give her peace of mind, yet I still became afraid.

<Francois> was hitting the floor with her stretched arm as if she was a child. I stepped forward towards her.

“Old lady, don’t you want to kill me? But that’s impossible just so you’re aware.”

I began to provoke her. I was cautious as I could be as I faced her.
I wasn’t sure if I was able to do it properly, but <Francois>’ eyes were staring towards me.
Actually, the attack I took from her earlier wasn’t that big of a deal.
The problem is its invulnerability… I wonder what I should do about that.
Even though it died, it’s kind of ironic that it’s invulnerable. Even so, that invincibility was vexing me.
The stretched arm that was aiming for me was shaking. She was trying to hit me with her palm from the side, like a slap.

“It’s useless you know!”

I took the arm with my left hand, and as I twisted it I flung her to the ground.
This monster doesn’t feel any pain in its current state, it seems.

The arm on the floor twitched and crept up my leg at high speed.
It grasped my leg and at the same time its other hand approached my neck.

“Ah, guuh……y-you……”

“Ryua-chan!”

It was the same as that time with the <Little Ghost Girl>.
No matter how much you pull, its unbelievable strength pins you down.
Even though I trained so much at the <Caves of Hell>, it’s completely useless against this <Vengeful Ghost>.(TL:奈落の洞窟で鍛えたはずなのに、なぜかこの怨霊には一切通用しない。)
Roel nearly went mad and started to pull the hand of <Francois> away from me.

“You!! You!!”

But since it was impossible for me, Roel’s delicate strength won’t be able to do it.
I don’t know how, or if, Tolppo was participating in this fight.

“What are you doing! Let go of Ryua-chan!”

<Francois>’ long nails started to dig into my neck, and my breathing started to get rough.
With a cracking sound, <Francois>’ head started to turn left and right 180 degrees from it original position while looking at me from a distance.
This was clearly a return provocation from before. I became serious about crushing her arm, but with its hard rubber-like sensation it didn’t even make her flinch.

I won’t let myself die here.
There is something I have to do here.
Something like you……..

///Tolppo’s Perspective///

I felt something when she easily pulverized the <Mortal Ghost>.
But, this time I felt bloodthirst releasing from her, incomparable to before.
This morning, that girl and Roel has a good relationship, innocently chatting with each other.
But right now it seems like she’s a different person…no, she seems inhuman.
I don’t want to approach that girl.
As I was thinking that, I noticed her peeling the fingers off of the <Vengeful Ghost>’s hand and throwing them away.
I took a couple of steps away from her.

///Ryua’s Perspective///

“Ryua?……who?”

I felt that Tolppo had backed away.
My fingers were currently dug into the corpse’s hands.
I peeled its fingers off of me, and with all my strength I threw it at the wall.
The arm fell from the wall to the floor and it immediately started to crawl towards me.

“<Heal>!”

Roel was frantically using <Heal> on me.
I’m grateful, but I ought to do something about that disgusting arm.
It came crawling to me. ‘As if I would let you do that again’ I thought, and I stomped on it with my foot.
Roel was still using <Heal> on me.

The arm under my foot started to squirm in a weird way.
Its dreadful strength that was trying to escape from my foot became faintly weaker.

“Roel………heal more…….”

I wonder what Tolppo’s idea is, urging Roel to use <Heal> more?
There was apparently no need to say that, she was already wholeheartedly using <Heal> continuously.
<Francois>’ arm convulsed 3 times, and the strength that was being used to escape became weaker.
Before long, the arm that was bathed in <Heal>’s light vanished.
The monster from far away raised a shrill cry while holding the shoulder that the arm belonged to.

“The hand…disappeared…….”

The first one voiced their surprise was Roel.
I didn’t understand what just happened.

If that’s the case, then it’s my turn.
I dashed from the side toward <Francois>.
Even though <Francois> was in agony, she once again tried to catch me with her arm. I won’t let that happen twice, don’t make light of me.
I kick <Francois> from behind, then I turned around and kick her again while she was on the floor.(TL:床を蹴ってフランソワスの側面から、そこでまた床を蹴って背後に回りこんだ。)
She didn’t really have a reaction to my kicks which were blowing her away.
I jumped forward, going even faster than <Francois> who was flying from my kicks.
As I caught up, I slammed her head onto the floor making her grovel.

“Eh….ah…..well”

Roel was perplexed as I was pinning <Francois>’ head to the floor.

“Quickly, do it now!”

If this guy stands up I won’t be able to stop it.
I had shouted due to the urgency.

“Y-yeah……<Heal>!”

I wanted to block my ears since the <Vengeful Ghost>’s loud groan was reverberating inside the underground room.
Roel was so surprised that her hand briefly stopped moving, but I’m not going to complain.(TL:それに驚いてロエルが手を止めようとするけどボクはやめないよう目で訴えた。)

The healing light continued to pour onto <Francois>’ body.
Just like her arm, we witnessed <Francois>’ body slowly vanish…

Erm, was Ryua “peeling” the fingers off her leg/neck, or was she “tearing” the fingers off the hand? ‘Cause “peeling fingers off” -> forcing someone to release their grip, while “tearing fingers off” -> holy crap I’m imagining it and daaaamn that’s brutal.

Rereading:
“I was tearing apart its fingers, and with all my strength I threw it at the wall.
The arm fell from the wall to the floor right after losing its finger, and it started to crawl towards me.”
gives me the impression Ryua peeled the fingers off her neck, and then threw the arm at the wall. And rather than the arm losing its fingers, perhaps it lost its grip? Like:
“I was peeling off its fingers, and right after losing its grip, I threw it at the wall with all my strength. The arm fell from the wall to the floor and started to crawl towards me.”?